Women bringing light to their villages – and creating better livelihoods for all
Solar Mamas is not just about climate change. The program operates in the poorest communities, often with women who are illiterate, yet responsible for their household and in need of tools to lift them out of poverty. In these communities, scarcity is everywhere – in water, power, education, and more. So when Barefoot College International comes in and trains these women to be build, install and maintain solar units for their villages, they are doing more than just building a community for environmental sustainability. They are helping the planet, and tackling the myriad barriers that keep these women in poverty.
And yet the environmental impact is significant. Many of these communities have never been on the grid, so their first experience with power is through solar. To date, Barefoot College has trained women in 93 countries across the global south, giving the skills and education needed to show how sustainability, gender equality and better livelihoods can all intersect to benefit entire communities.